Updates, advisories and surprises

(4:23 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Autodesk Inc.
ADSK, -0.04%
on Thursday reported a fiscal second-quarter profit of $64.6 million, or 28 cents a share, compared with a profit of $71.2 million, or 30 cents a share, for the year-earlier period. Revenue was $568.7 million, up from $546.3 million. Adjusted profit was 48 cents a share. Analysts were expecting a profit of 49 cents a share, on revenue of $593.5 million, according to a consensus survey by FactSet. For the current quarter, the company expects adjusted profit in the range of 40 cents to 45 cents a share, and revenue in the range of $550 million to $570 million. Analysts were expecting a profit of 50 cents a share, on revenue of $601.3 million.

Salesforce shares fall in after-hours action

(4:20 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Salesforce.com Inc.
CRM, -0.08%
shares fell as much as 4.6% in after-hours trading Thursday as the on-demand software company gave a fiscal third-quarter earnings forecast that fell short of analysts' estimates. Salesforce said that it expects to lose 26 to 27 cents a share, on revenue in a range of $773 million to $777 million. Excluding one-time items, Salesforce forecast earnings of 31 cents to 32 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had earlier estimated Salesforce to earn 34 cents a share on $770 million in revenue.

Salesforce's loss rises to $9.8 million

(4:13 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Salesforce.com Inc.
CRM, -0.08%
on Thursday reported a fiscal second-quarter loss of $9.8 million, or 7 cents a share, on revenue of $731.6 million. During the same period a year ago, the on-demand business software company lost $4.3 million, or 3 cents a share, on $46 million in sales. Excluding one-time items, Salesforce would have earned 42 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast Salesforce to earn 39 cents a share on $728.4 million in revenue.

Guess shares dive on earnings miss

(10:15 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Guess Inc.
GES, -0.73%
shares plunged 18.5% to $27.32 in morning trade Thursday as investors reacted to the retailer's worse-than-expected fiscal second-quarter earnings. The clothing retailer's profit declined 29% as revenue fell 6%, mostly due to lower sales in North America and weakness in Europe, though growth did continue in the Asian sector. The Los Angeles-based company cut its full-year outlook for the second time since May. The stock has been down 8% since January and over 18% over the past year.

Big Lots shares hammered on weaker outlook

(10:03 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Big Lots
BIG, +0.44%
shares led S&P 500
SPX, -0.23%
decliners Thursday morning, plunging 21% to $30.63. Big Lots, a seller of discounted goods ranging from everyday household items to food, slashed its fiscal year profit outlook after its U.S. comparable-store sales fell 1.9% during its fiscal second-quarter. For the year, Big Lots is forecasting its comparable-store sales to decline in the "low single digit range." Ohio-based Big Lots operates 1,463 stores in 48 United States. Its stock is now down 4% over the past 12 months.

H-P stock falls; analyst cites CEO comments

(9:45 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Shares of Hewlett-Packard
HPQ, -0.33%
fell about 6% early Thursday, the worst on the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA, -0.32%
after the company posted results that analysts say were "better-than-feared," but also signaled troubles ahead in the personal computer market. Analysts cited Wednesday's earnings call with company executives in which Chief Executive Meg Whitman said the PC market "remains weak and channel inventory is high across the industry. ... The reality is, we're locked in serious competitive battles but we're determined to win." RBC Capital analyst Amit Daryanani identified Lenovo as the main rival H-P was referring to, saying, "I believe the implication is they may sacrifice some margin degradation for PC share." With expected revenue and margin declines in PCs and printers, he added, "There is less clarity in understanding beyond cost savings what can sustain earnings per share higher on a year-over-basis."

HP down 5% in premarket; analyst reiterates sell

(7:30 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Deutsche Bank analysts on Thursday reiterated their sell rating on Hewlett-Packard Co.
HPQ, -0.33%
after the computer maker posted its deepest-ever loss. Analysts at the investment bank slashed their price target on HP to $15 a share from $20 and reduced their fourth-quarter profit estimate for the technology company to $1.15 a share from $1.17 a share. For the 2013 fiscal year, Deutsche Bank analysts now expect HP to earn $4 a share, down from their earlier view of $4.10 a share. Hewlett-Packard, which is one of 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA, -0.32%
fell 5.3% in premarket trades to $18.18 a share.

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